One man’s loss is another man’s gain, oftentimes, in this world in which the zero sum game is too present for my liking, too often. In a land of plenty, I like to see all good people get a taste…but people are competitive, and look to feather the nest extra plushly, often, rather than hand some padding to one who is lacking.

The Canelo to HBO ship-jump seems to benefit the Mexican hitter, and HBO, which gets the youngest PPV driver out there, while Showtime has to do some shifting of thinking, on how to replace that hole in their lineup. Now, the fans, the most important but oft neglected part of the whole package…how do they come out in this deal?Will they, we, get a taste?

Well, right off the bat, a Canelo Alvarez-Joshua Clottey scrap seems a foregone conclusion, as nobody expects the 36-year-old Clottey to be able to get over the professional hump, and achieve a career best win against a fresher foe. No, that one doesn’t whet whistles. But beyond that, the Canelo shift might be beneficial in that it paves the way for him to sign on to fight HBO regulars Miguel Cotto, and also Gennady Golovkin. That get your whistle wet?

So, what about it, Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler, are we going to see the Bieber-faced banger take on the Cinnamon Kid in the near future?

“All we can do is keep trying to get the best available guys in the ring with GGG, if he is successful against Rubio (on Oct 18, on HBO), then I think 2015 will be a big year,” Loeffler said.

I chuckled.

Loeffler is a taciturn sort, amiable, not prone to get trash-talky or over emote about a possible future scrap. C’mon, Tom, gimme some red meat!

“Gennady loves to eat steak and loves to KO his opponents, how’s that for meat?” he said, chuckling in retort.

Anyway, I’m a fan of true competition, and I predict we get some of these must see fights on HBO, and I think we see Showtime upping the ante to counter in sharp fashion. The fans, in this case, might actually get the best of the deal.

COMMENTS

-SouthPawFlo :

Not gonna happen. Too risky for Canelo & Golden Boy, if they wouldn't take a James Kirkland Fight no way would they take a GGG fight, he's just not a big enough star and doesn't really bring a big enough following for the Crowd he Brings, maybe this time next year, but not now...

-thegreyman :

I'm disappointed they didn't take the Kirkland fight- it would have been a great scrap and maybe even FOTY material.
I'm certain we'll see GGG/Canelo at some point. They're both willing to face anyone, and they're both after the same target, a clash is inevitable. Have hope SPF!

-The Commish :

I am sure, now that Canelo Alvarez has signed with HBO, that a PPV bout against GGG is in the future. It won't happen soon, but it will happen later, perhaps at the end of 2015 or early in 2016, after GGG knocks off three or four challengers and Canelo gets past around the same amount of opponents.
The thawing of the Cold War between Top Rank and Golden Boy will make for some interesting matches ahead.
-Randy G.

-Radam G :

I am sure, now that Canelo Alvarez has signed with HBO, that a PPV bout against GGG is in the future. It won't happen soon, but it will happen later, perhaps at the end of 2015 or early in 2016, after GGG knocks off three or four challengers and Canelo gets past around the same amount of opponents.
The thawing of the Cold War between Top Rank and Golden Boy will make for some interesting matches ahead.
-Randy G.

I don't see it. I see a scrap between Canelo and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr ur [$??] coming. Holla!

-riverside :

Not gonna happen. Too risky for Canelo & Golden Boy, if they wouldn't take a James Kirkland Fight no way would they take a GGG fight, he's just not a big enough star and doesn't really bring a big enough following for the Crowd he Brings, maybe this time next year, but not now...

South paw, my understanding is Kirkland team turn the fight down, second time his team turn down fight, a few years ago he pull out with fake injury. I don't understand why his team will pass on a pay day? I think It would be a good fight. Kirkland team sees something in canelo, they don't want to match him up with. You know canelo unloads on stationary targets like Kirkland,but then again a good defense for Kirkland is a good offense.

-stormcentre :

Oscar needs to appease Top Rank (and therefore Bob) as the future of GBP is, currently and as a result of the last 10 months unplanned events, now intrinsically tied to Top Rank - and therefore HBO expenditures.
It is that simple.
I can't see Canelo currently asking for 3G no matter what the deal.
He was slugged with disrespect and easily handled by 3G a few years back when Canelo went to Sanchez's gym thinking he would have an easier time.
Since then, he realised he is vulnerable to that mad Kazak timing and al the power shots that come following through immediately after.

-Radam G :

Oscar needs to appease Top Rank (and therefore Bob) as the future of GBP is, currently and as a result of the last 10 months unplanned events, now intrinsically tied to Top Rank - and therefore HBO expenditures.
It is that simple.
I can't see Canelo currently asking for 3G no matter what the deal.
He was slugged with disrespect and easily handled by 3G a few years back when Canelo went to Sanchez's gym thinking he would have an easier time.
Since then, he realised he is vulnerable to that mad Kazak timing and al the power shots that come following through immediately after.

True da! True da! So true. Canelo got a gym beating outta this world back in da day. He does not want to see that mad Kazak again in dat squared jungle. Holla!

-amayseng :

I don't see it. I see a scrap between Canelo and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr ur [$??] coming. Holla!

At what weight though?
Is Chavez jr even under 200 right now? I would say close to it.

-amayseng :

South paw, my understanding is Kirkland team turn the fight down, second time his team turn down fight, a few years ago he pull out with fake injury. I don't understand why his team will pass on a pay day? I think It would be a good fight. Kirkland team sees something in canelo, they don't want to match him up with. You know canelo unloads on stationary targets like Kirkland,but then again a good defense for Kirkland is a good offense.

Kirkland is a tough and entertaining dude but he eats shots like they are good for him. Canelo will beat the brakes off him early with a Ko, TKO or a ref jumping in to save him from himself.

-Radam G :

At what weight though?
Is Chavez jr even under 200 right now? I would say close to it.

Canelo's weight balloons up just as badly as JCCJ. Their bodies are just like that.
So is Tim Bradley. Dude is schedule to fight in December and is 203 pounds right now in September. No problem. Theses type of pugs are use to cutting large amounts of weight in record times.
A body can do that. But it will cut their careers short. Holla!

-oubobcat :

If Canelo fights Cotto and wins (two big ifs right now) and Golovkin can make 160 for the foreseeable future, this fight could happen in 2016.
Golovkin needs opponents and HBO wants to move him into bigger fights. HBO signed Canelo with not only the Cotto fight in mind but other big fights down the line for Canelo. And other than a Chavez fight, which is questionable because who knows what weight Chavez can really get to, Golovkin would be the next biggest name and next super fight.
Say Canelo beats Cotto and Golovkin keeps winning and building his reputation. We have two stars fighting at 160 or thereabouts with Middleweight titles. Canelo would maybe get an easy fight after Cotto and easy payday and then moved toward Golovkin. Canelo would argue he's the "A" side and be able to in negotiations get a very substantial payday. This fight would be then become a natural for May 2016.
I could see it happening believe it or not. I know a lot of people may not believe Golden Boy would put their star in such a fight but with the payday and buzz the fight would generate I think they would be willing. If Canelo would win, he'd be an absolute mega star. Its a calculated risk with a very high reward potential. And Canelo is anxious to prove himself as demonstrated by the fact that he took the dangerous Lara fight.
The scenario needs to play out correctly but this fight is very possible now with Canelo's HBO deal.

-stormcentre :

Kirkland is a tough and entertaining dude but he eats shots like they are good for him. Canelo will beat the brakes off him early with a Ko, TKO or a ref jumping in to save him from himself.

I was thinking the fight would play out the other way around - where Kirkland may actually have Canelo busted, shocked, hurt and dazed early on in the fight.
But if he didn't close the show by round 5 (and provided Canelo's game-plan hadn't changed from the intensity of the early rounds) Canelo may take over later; to possibly close the show.
I think Kirkland, as a highly aggressive southpaw, possessing (usually) great punch resistance, and (if on the night he has had the chance to prepare and come in) being really fit and determined; is a really hard task for anyone for the first 4 or 5 rounds.
I mean, what lefty are you going to bring in for sparring to prepare your boy for that?
And, with the money and strap that will be online for the kind of fight any of the guy's discussed brings; James will be very fit, ready, angry, and determined.
That's just looking through my (murky) crystal ball.

-The Commish :

Not gonna happen. Too risky for Canelo & Golden Boy, if they wouldn't take a James Kirkland Fight no way would they take a GGG fight, he's just not a big enough star and doesn't really bring a big enough following for the Crowd he Brings, maybe this time next year, but not now...

I believe that's what we are looking at: GGG vs Canelo in the latter half of 2015. That is one of the main reasons Canelo headed over to HBO--to have an eventual showdown against GGG, who is well on his way to the top of the PxP list.
By the time Canelo faces GGG, the unbeaten middleweight king will have won two--perhaps three--more fights. The same with Canelo. They'll be ready to face each other in a lucrative PPV event.
By this time next year, the landscape of boxing with be drastically different. Floyd Mayweather will most likely be retired. So may Wladimir Klitschko. Andre Ward will (hopefully) be back in action.
Canelo Alvarez and GGG? They'll be primed to face each other on HBO PPV.
I'm sure that's one PPV each of us will gladly pay for!
-Randy G.

-Radam G :

Neither Money May nor Doc Wladimir K will be retired. Besides, Doc Wladimir has already said that he will be competing in the O-Games in Brazil. Pros can now fight in them.
Money May is just playing the boneheads. He will likely still be pugging and plugging and lugging and hugging. He's too much of an ego maniac to halt whuppin' @$$e$ and making easy dough. Holla!

-brownsugar :

There is no way I'm holding my breath for a Canelo GGG fight. Canelo is still trying to fight guys two weight classes below him like Pac and current blown up WBC middleweight champ Miguel Cotto.
He may try to starve the underachieving and popular fellow Mexican contender Chavez Jr, but no way is Chavez going down to 160 for Canelo unless he's added smoking crack to his list of recreational activities.
Also count out the intermittantly deranged James Kirkland, who blew a previous opportunity to fight Canelo because of managerial drama and not being able to get into fighting shape soon enough in addition to balking about the size of the check
Kirkland just recently bailed on another opportunity to move up the rankings by opting out of the Rosado fight. I don't know what Kirkland wants to do but placing blame and exacerbating old wounds seems to take priority over boxing.
If GGG were an actor he'd be Humphrey Bogart or Denzel Washington.
If Canelo were an actor he'd be the good looking body builder model they cast to play Hercules. He's reasonably decent at smiling in the direction of the camera but ultimately forgettable by the time the credits roll.
Canelo will not be fighting GGG, Korobov, Jacobs, or even Quillin the Coward any time soon.
He's barely taller than Mayweather and only has about a 68 inch reach. His feet are slow and after being a pro for nearly ten years they aren't getting any quicker.
Look for Canelo to be matched against blown up former welterweights(like the Turtle Clottey) almost exclusively unless they catch somebody with a big name slippin'.
He's like Ricky Hatton.... Strong ....determined yet limited.... But once he moves up in weight his limitations will be even more pronounced.. Canelo is not bad at all....he's just not that good and unlike Ricky, he doesn't have the style to make the best use of his stubby build. He should be fighting more like Tony Ayala Jr or Chavez Sr....but instead he spends an excessive amount of time trying to box and pick his shots.

-Radam G :

James "The Mandingo Warrior" Kirkland pulled outta da scrap because Fiddy was Da Don Kinging him. And the Texan cowboy Mandingo wasn't having it .
Those who are not in the know believe that he is just sitting on the shelf, and they will be right in pug fighting, but as wrong as heck in prizefighting. He won against Big O and GPB for them shuckin'and jivin' him about money and bouts. And he will do the same against Fiddy.
He definitely pulled out in bouts against Canelo a time or two because Kirkland is a prizefighter, not an elephant. You can't paid him peanut and expect for him to be urging to go.
He's not whuppin' arse free. When he was a dumb street kid, he did that. But now as a full grown-@$$ man, you got break him off nicely and pricely with da moolah. He is not asking for Fort Knox, just a small goldmine. Holla!

-SouthPaul :

Im on board with what Brown Suga' is saying. Ain't no way Canelo and his handlers want any part of GGG specially with just signing that recent HBO deal. And I am ok with that because Cotto vs Canelo is much more interesting. It's one of best match ups in all of boxing at the moment. You've got two fighters who will bring the fight as well as great following to finance it all. It's win win for everyone involved. Cinco de mayo in Vegas, Puerto Rico vs Mexico?
Fireworks!

-brownsugar :

James "The Mandingo Warrior" Kirkland pulled outta da scrap because Fiddy was Da Don Kinging him. And the Texan cowboy Mandingo wasn't having it .
Those who are not in the know believe that he is just sitting on the shelf, and they will be right in pug fighting, but as wrong as heck in prizefighting. He won against Big O and GPB for them shuckin'and jivin' him about money and bouts. And he will do the same against Fiddy.
He definitely pulled out in bouts against Canelo a time or two because Kirkland is a prizefighter, not an elephant. You can't paid him peanut and expect for him to be urging to go.
He's not whuppin' arse free. When he was a dumb street kid, he did that. But now as a full grown-@$$ man, you got break him off nicely and pricely with da moolah. He is not asking for Fort Knox, just a small goldmine. Holla!

Lol....a small goldmine.
Thanks for enlightening my perspective.
Kirkland could be a potential threat to many at 154 but he seems to be having problems with everything...management... Trainers...contracts...his parole officer..... Etc...
If a pure aggressor like Kirkland isn't fighting regularly he simply starts wasting away.
He blows up to over 220 lbs between fights and he ain't getting any younger.
Kirkland's athletic prime is fading fast...he should borrow Broners nickname
Hopefully he can get back on track

-King Beef :

Lol....a small goldmine.
Thanks for enlightening my perspective.
Kirkland could be a potential threat to many at 154 but he seems to be having problems with everything...management... Trainers...contracts...his parole officer..... Etc...
If a pure aggressor like Kirkland isn't fighting regularly he simply starts wasting away.
He blows up to over 220 lbs between fights and he ain't getting any younger.
Kirkland's athletic prime is fading fast...he should borrow Broners nickname
Hopefully he can get back on track

Is Kirkland not with Wolf anymore?? He seemed at his best when he was with her. A Canelo and Kirkland fight would have been a pretty good scrap.

-The Shadow :

James "The Mandingo Warrior" Kirkland pulled outta da scrap because Fiddy was Da Don Kinging him. And the Texan cowboy Mandingo wasn't having it .
Those who are not in the know believe that he is just sitting on the shelf, and they will be right in pug fighting, but as wrong as heck in prizefighting. He won against Big O and GPB for them shuckin'and jivin' him about money and bouts. And he will do the same against Fiddy.
He definitely pulled out in bouts against Canelo a time or two because Kirkland is a prizefighter, not an elephant. You can't paid him peanut and expect for him to be urging to go.
He's not whuppin' arse free. When he was a dumb street kid, he did that. But now as a full grown-@$$ man, you got break him off nicely and pricely with da moolah. He is not asking for Fort Knox, just a small goldmine. Holla!

50 wasn't King'ing him my dude, he was completely transparent. That idiot dimwit heard what 50 was making -- from 50 himself! -- and got upset after initially accepting what he was going to get.
He heard about the license fee for the card and thought there'd be more for him. 50 breaks people off fairly.
He ain't winning s*** against 50 because there ain't s*** to win.
50 was taking his promotional percentage that he was entitled to by way of the contract and this doofus -- who really doesn't have any money, he was on the brink of filing for bankruptcy -- turned it down.
Financial issues aside, not only is he squandering a paycheck, he's also blowing the momentum he built from his exhilarating performance against Tapia.
Entertainment/boxing is a well-oiled machine that is greater than the sum of its part. You can find a niche within it where demand exists -- and Kirkland, as an action fighter, does just that.
But if you're not active, that niche, eventually, will be replaced by someone else and fans will forget you ever existed. Out of sight, out of mind.
That's showbiz for you.

-Radam G :

Fiddy is a government snitch and has off people just as Da Don King has done.
There are tricks of the trade everywhere. Several pugs have pulled aways from Fiddy, because he was appearing to be Da Don King's type of slicky slick. And would hit you with a brick. Not a brick of Benjamins, but the real thing.
Optical illusions are everywhere. And the truth, neither Fiddy nor Da Don King will ever share. And straight-up fibbing, they will dare. Being honest, they don't care.
How this thing turns out? IMHO, Fiddy will settle with James Kirkland. And if they do business again, be fair. Fiddy couldn't wear Da Don King's jockstrap -- I mean the fake hair. Holla!

-The Shadow :

Fiddy is a government snitch and has off people just as Da Don King has done.
There are tricks of the trade everywhere. Several pugs have pulled aways from Fiddy, because he was appearing to be Da Don King's type of slicky slick. And would hit you with a brick. Not a brick of Benjamins, but the real thing.
Optical illusions are everywhere. And the truth, neither Fiddy nor Da Don King will ever share. And straight-up fibbing, they will dare. Being honest, they don't care.
How this thing turns out? IMHO, Fiddy will settle with James Kirkland. And if they do business again, be fair. Fiddy couldn't wear Da Don King's jockstrap -- I mean the fake hair. Holla!

He's not a snitch per se, those are just rumors. I know that his history pretty well. That came about because he was stabbed by some guys from another rapper's camp in a studio and the police enforced a straining order on him.
The other reason they called him a snitch was because he made a song detailing crack dealing in his neighborhood, which was part of the reason he got shot up, which wasn't really nine times, either.
Another key motivator behind his shooting was because one of the drug kingpins from Jamaica, Queens -- whom he chronicled in said song -- was a paid member/extorting said rival rapper and he wanted 50 to leave him alone because said rapper was "his food."
If they lost popularity, the drug kingpin would lose money. So the guy arranged to have him shot in front of his house by Mike Tyson's best friend and bodyguard, ironically.
A few later, the hitman, Darryl Baum AKA Hamo AKA Homicide AKA Shorty Love, was murdered, which led to Tyson's rage-fueled implosion on TV after knocking out Lou Savarese, "I wanna eat his children, praise be to Allah!"
I have family in and around 50's Queens neighborhood (Ozone Park, Hollis, Jamaica) who have told me stories about Boo Boo (his street name) coming up.
From what they tell me, I hear he used to fight guys a lot, quick to hit someone in the face. Some even say he's shot people but I'm not sure how legit that is.
(One dude told me he used to ride bicycles with his gun and rob people though that sounded like BS to me.)
As for him being slick in his dealings, I can believe that. He's a street dude. But the Dingo is just irrational. In this case, he had agreed and then suddenly changed his mind.
Like I said, out of sight out of mind. Rosado would've been a good win for him that might've led to a GGG fight.

-deepwater2 :

I was part of the supreme team boxing team in the late 80's and 90's. The most powerful drug Gang in NYC happened to be called the supreme team also. The drug gang was violent and crazy but they respected our team and let us be and didn't cause us any problems but a few of its members liked to hang around and spar and learn some fighting skills. They never caused any problems around us but we all heard some sick stories. A guy actually showed up to spar after having his eyeball stabbed out of the socket a few days earlier.
50 cent was a low level type of guy that tried to hang with the drug gang. The gang members hated 50 cent and confirmed he is a government witness. I don't know if he ratted on them but they hate him for being a rat .

-Radam G :

We are going to have to agreed to disagree. Fiddy may not be a super snitch. But he was an informant. And he is sneaky, shady, shaky and a SNAKE! And he forever has something to bake. And to get his way, he will throw anybody's arse into a lake. And doing the best for a client, in a New York minute, he will FAKE!
When Money May was in jail, Fiddy tried to break the bond between tsAH and Money May.
Fiddy had the audacity to write tsAH a letter claiming that Money May would no longer need tsAH's services. Matter of fact, Fiddy went as far as to claim that none of TMT's fighters would need tsAH's services anymore.
And as you know, Money May wasn't having it with Fiddy's Benedict Arnold's bullsyet. Money May broke off their "closer-than-brothers" -- the Mayweather brothers anyway -- bond. And realized that Pops Joy May was always right about "the snake-in-the-tree syet" of Fiddy.
Fiddy knows what time it is with "The Mandingo Warrior" and boksing. No verbal-contract jive applies. And the handshake days are over. So a pug can change his mind after he hears da whole deal.
Fiddy is full of bulljive. First he claims Money May cannot correctly read, and now he claims TMW cannot correctly hear. OMFG!
Fiddy is slick with it. And also stealth with it. He using stereotypes that boxers are dumb-arse slow. And don't know how to read, write, hear or comprehend. And going further, he is indeed straight-up Da Don Kinging TMW as the black man who bigots and racists stereotype as being "stupid, dumb and slow-thinking as hell."
I'm an eye-and-ear witness to the shenanigans of Fiddy and Da Don King to their fellow African Americans. But just in case that some knucklehead has figured out how to clone me in this version of the Universe, Imma chillax. Because in the old TSS Universe, straight up with the hardcore, undisputed TRUTH, @$$e$ I would wax. Da muthajerks would accused me of never "really taking a side." I guess that they were right, because with the truth and reality of the actuality I always ride. Holla!

-Skibbz :

This fight will happen, it makes sense for both guys. Canelo in my opinion is too small to be a successful 160 fighter, too many taller athletic boxers will beat him unless he adapts his style and utilises his strength(s).
GGG chops him up and serves him Julienne. It will be a massive event and a fight truly worthy of PPV. The fans will win when this fight happens.